By Kanina Foss and Baldwin Ndaba
A 1980s sex scandal - involving Eugene Terre'Blanche and a male Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) supporter - has surfaced again, just as the Hawks confirmed that the AWB leader's murder could be investigated as a homosexual sex crime.
"It's not a complete secret that Eugene had some of these tendencies," said Max du Preez, who founded the Vrye Weekblad newspaper in the 1980s.
Back then, the weekly newspaper published the story of an AWB bodyguard who claimed to have woken up after a night of heavy partying to find Terre'Blanche on top of him, trying to molest him.
The bodyguard laid a complaint within the AWB and was promptly kicked out of the organisation.
The bodyguard went to the Vrye Weekblad - the only newspaper that would run the story.
"No other newspaper touched it because they reckoned it was defamatory. But we thought it was true," Du Preez told The Star on Sunday.
After the story was published, there was no reaction from Terre'Blanche or the AWB.
"Eugene didn't say a word," said Du Preez.
Terre'Blanche's foray into Ventersdorp that fateful Friday - to buy ciders for his workers, and a bottle of vodka for himself - appears to be no different from the AWB shindig in the 1980s.
While investigations continue, lawyers acting for the two murder accused are due to argue in court that Terre'Blanche had a homosexual relationship with his alleged killers.
Initial reports indicated that Terre'Blanche was murdered over a pay dispute, but a picture of an alcohol-fuelled homosexual orgy is starting to emerge.
Eyewitnesses say they saw the AWB leader - reportedly estranged from his wife - buying liquor at a Ventersdorp bottle store before taking his workers back to the farm where he was later bludgeoned to death.
Meanwhile, the accused, Chris Mahlangu, 27, and a 15-year-old, who is too young to be named, are expected to appear in the Ventersdorp Magistrate's Court on Wednesday for a formal bail application.
They are charged with murder, housebreaking with intent to rob and robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted robbery and crimen injuria.
That charge was added on Tuesday, when they made their first appearance in court.
Explaining the charge, the prosecution said that when Terre'Blanche's body was found, detectives saw that his pants were down to his knees and his genitals were exposed.
Some reports say there was a condom, but a police spokeswoman has denied having seen one.
However, the condom is also said to be part of the evidence and, with the clothing of the accused, will be sent for forensic testing.
Terre'Blanche was buried in Ventersdorp on Friday.